THE POLITICS OF ENACTING STATE LEGISLATION TO ENABLE LOCAL-IMPACT FEES - THE PENNSYLVANIA STORY

Although Lillydahl et al. advocate the passage of state enabling legis lation to clearly establish municipal authority to collect impact fees , the literature does not provide guidance for achieving this goal. Th e evolution of Pennsylvania's statute suggests that the following fact ors affect a bill's content and success: (1) the proportion of legisla tive districts confronting the problems of rapid growth; (2) the abili ty of interest groups to conduct effective grass roots campaigns; (3) the use of floor amendments to ''catch the opposition off guard;'' (4) effective communication between a bill's negotiators and its supporte rs; and (5) the appearance of flexibility on the part of the bill's su pporters.